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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29140977">Where's Lana?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FicAlthusserist/pseuds/FicAlthusserist'>FicAlthusserist</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Loud House (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Mystery, Psychological Drama</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 07:55:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,236</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29140977</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FicAlthusserist/pseuds/FicAlthusserist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lola wakes up to find Lana and all her stuff from their room are gone. Nothing could have prepared her for the emotional journey ahead of her when she asks her family the simple question, "Where's Lana?"</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Okay, this is my fist ever Loud House fic.  I can't begin to explain how much joy reading fics from some of the great writers of the Loud House ff community has given me.  Consider this my first tiny down payment on giving something back to the fandom.  Reviews are appreciated as I value feedback.  I hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 1</p><p>When you wear a sleep mask returning from dreamland is not a sudden process.  The light from the dawn does not aggressively pierce your eyes, like an over enthusiastic chief on a deadline stabbing into an onion with a knife.  Instead images in your mind take shape, pulling from your memories, in response to the sounds around you.</p><p>There is the alarm of course, welcoming you home as a lighthouse guides a ship to harbor.  The light sound of traffic perhaps depending on your location and happy and not so happy bachelors aside, the noise from other members of the household.</p><p>At seven years old, the daily shenanigans of her noisy siblings during the day was no longer a problem for Lola.  She’s not taken a nap since she was five and while, as was to be expected, her bedtime was earlier than her older siblings, she was more or less on a nighttime sleeping pattern.</p><p>As Lola stirred moments from a half remembered dream slipped from her mind like sand through her fingers.  She was left with only a vague impression of a voice yelling at her to wait and a strange feeling that she had forgotten something important.</p><p>Lola felt refreshed, energized even.  The sensation was strange, out of place, it did not belong.  For as long as she could remember Lola had never gotten as full and deep a sleep as she wanted.  She knew the reason why, her twin sister, Lana.</p><p>Lana’s snores were a cross between the sound of a chainsaw and the bass air vibrations from one of Luna’s over sized speakers.  While that would be enough on it’s own to guarantee that until she got her own room she was doomed to endure partial and broken sleep, this was compounded by Lana’s personal reptile house of pets.  The snakes would hiss, Hops her frog would croak, the lizards would scratch in the sand, was it really any wonder she woke up nearly every morning in a foul mood?</p><p>This morning was different though, while the noise of her siblings in their rooms and the hallway drifted faintly to her ears though the walls, her and Lana’s room was silent.</p><p>Sure, it’s not like Lana had never woken up before her and it was even conceivable that she, for some reason, took all her pets with her.  Yet, to feel as rested as she did, as though she had slept deeply though the whole night was nagging at her, something felt off.</p><p>Sitting up in bed, Lola pulled her sleeping mask off and took in the sight of her and Lana’s bedroom.  Huh?  She thought, blinking a couple of times on instinct to see if it fixed the image like playing around with the focus on a camera.</p><p>It was not simply the absence of Lana or her pets, this she had expected, but everything of Lana’s was gone.  Her bed, gone, the various tanks she kept her animal friends in, gone, her various toys she would leave scattered around the floor, much to Lola’s annoyance, again gone.  Even Lana’s posters were missing, replaced with others she did not recognize but could tell were to her taste.</p><p>For a moment the blond girl just sat there, confused.  She remembered saying goodnight to Lana when they went to bed, they even had plans this morning to go to the park, it being a Saturday.  The idea that all Lana’s stuff could have been removed during the night, especially the bed, just made no sense to her, she would have woken up, surly?</p><p>Lola was about to start panicking, a cold sweat starting to form on the surface of her skin, when it hit her, Luan.</p><p>Of course!  She sighed in relief, this was some elaborate prank from her wanna be comedian sister.  Her other sisters that shared a room probably had the same thing happen to them, she reasoned.  Maybe Lana was going to wake up in the basement or the back yard.  She’d like that, Lola thought, being closer to nature.</p><p>Sure nature could be pretty, Lola mused as she got out of bed, there were flowers, sunny beaches, rainbows, seriously who doesn’t love a rainbow?  But nature could also be really gross.  Mud, yuck, bugs, double yuck and all the poop!   So...much...poop!  There was Cliff and Charles poop in the backyard, bird poop on Vanzilla oh and don’t even get her started on when they went out to the countryside.  There were entire fields covered in poop and you could smell it from miles away!</p><p>Heading out the bedroom door Lola realized she must have slept in pretty late.  The dreaded line for the bathroom was gone and she was instead greeted with the typical mayhem that was part of her everyday life.</p><p>Lynn had her brother in some kind of headlock on the floor.  He was begging for mercy as she laughed maniacally, slowly pushing a pair of her disgusting sweaty socks into his face.  Lola pulled a face of disgust, her nose turning up.  Even from a few feet away she could tell the rancid things smelled worse than Lynn’s farts and that was an incredible achievement.  Hard pass, she thought and hurried past them.</p><p>Lisa was observing the two with stoic contemplation.  While keeping her distance of course.  In her hand was some kind of scanner that looked straight out of Star Trek.  “Lynn!”  Lisa cried out in alarm after consulting some reading on the device.  Lola was glad Lisa had finally dropped the whole parental unit and sibling unit crap.  At two it has been cute, at three it had become annoying while at four it was downright insufferable.  “According to my bio-molecular scanner, your socks violate sixteen United Nations resolutions condemning the manufacturer, storage and use of chemical weapons!  Please let me sanitize the offending garment, least our family be branded as a terrorist cell!”</p><p>Lola smirked and continued on her way, her destination, Lori and Leni’s room.  It took the family by surprise when, in contrast to her plans, Lori announced she was going to take a year out before moving onto University.  She’d said something about her family needing her for a bit longer.  Lola thought she was being overly dramatic, she was sure they’d have got on just fine without Lori bossing them around for another year.  </p><p>Seeing the door was left wide open she didn’t need to knock, not that she ever did, she was Lola Loud, self appointed Princess of Royal Woods, and one of her siblings should be honored she chose to grace them with her presence.</p><p>Looking through the doorway Lola was greeted with the most expected thing in the Loud house, Lori texting on her bed.  An image flashed in her mind of Lisa finally going too far and really blowing up the house.  As the smoke cleared, there would be Lori, her face black and her hair singed like a character from an old Looney Tunes cartoon while she continued to text away, utterly oblivious.  </p><p>Lola saw that the furniture of both sisters was accounted for.  Strange, she thought, she could not think of a reason why Luan would single her and Lana out, maybe it was just she didn’t want to risk Lori’s wrath?  Lola did not consider herself a push over by any means but everyone was a little scared of Lori when she went into berserk mode.  </p><p>Continuing down the hallway Lola reached Lynn and Lucy’s room.  The door was ever so slightly ajar and Lola peeked through the gap.</p><p>Lucy was present, sitting on her bed reading a book.  “Oh Star Dimples,” Lucy sighed, “How can you froleck with such carefree innocence in the face of the meaningless toil of social conformity we call life?”</p><p>“Star Dimples?”  Lola quizzed, stepping into the room, cursing an embarrassed flush to appear on her sister's cheeks as her face snapped up to look at her.</p><p>“Um...they're a vampire...called Star Dimples,” Lucy mumbled.  “See, vampire book,” she added, holding up the book in her hands.  The black cover did indeed show a pair of teen looking vampires embracing one another although Lola did notice a thin line of bright pastel colours poking out the bottom, as though there was another cover hidden behind it.</p><p>“Whatever,” Lola huffed, seeing that Lynn and Lucy’s stuff was also untouched and headed back into the hallway, she did not have time for this.</p><p>Approaching the door to Luna and Luan’s room a slight frown crossed Lola’s face.  This was not the typical look of fairly irritation and barley suppressed rage she wore when things didn't go exactly her way.  That feeling of concern she’d felt in her bedroom was starting to creep back.</p><p>Hearing Luna’s ear bleeding death metal coming from inside, Lola threw the door open and just like the previous two rooms, both her sister's beds and various personal items were all there.  In the middle of the room Luna was headbanging so hard it looked like her neck was about to snap off.</p><p>Pushing her ever increasing discomfort to the back of her mind, Lola ground her teeth together and stormed off towards the stairs, walking with purpose.</p><p>As the young pageant girl turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs she spotted her prey in the kitchen.  “Luan,” she hissed and marched towards her with murderous intent past her parents who were sitting on the couch watching TV.</p><p>In the kitchen Luan was blissfully unaware of the approaching storm that was Lola Loud as she leaned causally against the counter with a mug of hot chocolate in her hand that contained an obscene amount of marshmallows.</p><p>The jokester of the family was chatting away to Leni about adapting her more traditional clown look to relate better to a modern audience.  While in Luan’s mind a big red rubber nose and giant shoes would always have a place, as Bob Dylan once said, "The times they are a changin."  </p><p>Luan had noticed that among the late pre-tween children she entertained her classic clown get up created an unnecessary barrier to some of them.  Oh they were happy and eager to laugh at her jokes and various prop comedy antics once she got going, but early on some of the children were resistant, seeing clowns as too babyish.  Leni’s knowledge of fashion was just the feedback she needed if she was going to get this new look right.</p><p>“LUAN!”  Lola screamed at her sister on entering the kitchen, cutting into her and Leni’s conversation.  “You think you're so FUNNY don’t you?  Well I’m not laughing, what you did was just creepy!”</p><p>“What are you talking about?”  Luan said, utterly startled by Lola’s outburst.</p><p>“Save it sister, I’m not going along with your dumb prank, just tell me, WHERE’S LANA!?”</p><p>Time stood still, Luan’s eyes widened as shock overwhelmed her.  The mug of hot chocolate fell from her hand, shattering on the floor.  Leni meanwhile gasped, covering her mouth.  Lola was taken back, her rage defused like letting the air out of a balloon and she looked back and forth between her two sisters.</p><p>Luan’s breathing was ragged but she took a deep breath and centered herself.  She knelt down to Lola’s eye level, the dropped hot chocolate absent for her mind, placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke to her sister slowly.  “Lola, did you ask me where Lana is?”</p><p>“Y-Yes,” Lola stuttered, this was not the reaction Luan should be giving her to being called out, where was her terrible pun followed by her irritating laugh?</p><p>“And you're sure she’s not with you...right now?”  Luan asked, her voice eerily calm.</p><p>Lola spun around hoping that Lana was standing there, that this was just some elaborate set up Luan and Lana had planned out together.  There was no one there, she turned back to Luan, fear in her eyes.  “What’s going on?  Where’s Lana?”  Lola asked again and she noticed Luan wince.</p><p>“I’m gonna get Mum and Dad,” Leni said, sounding just as scared as Lola felt as she left the kitchen.</p><p> “Lola” Luan said again, “Tell me what happened.”</p><p>“I woke up,” Lola started, feeling the intensity of her sister's eyes on her.  “And Lana was gone, along with her pets, her toys, even her bed, you moved it all didn’t you?  This is one of your pranks right?”</p><p>“So your saying you don’t see Lana’s things anymore?”  Luan asked, her eyes scanning Lola’s face for a reaction.</p><p>The young girl was confused, “What do you mean, I don’t see them anymore?  I didn’t see them because they weren't there!”  Lola was raising her voice again as tears started to well up in her eyes, she didn’t like this at all.</p><p>“Lola honey!”  Rita exclaimed as she ran into the kitchen with Lynn Sr close behind, bending down and scoping her daughter into a hug.</p><p>“Mum, Dad what’s going on?”  Lola wailed as her mother held her, tears pouring down her cheeks.  “Luan and Leni are acting weird and where’s Lana?  Why won’t anyone tell me where Lana is?!”</p><p>Lola felt her mother stiffen while Lynn Sr exclaimed, “My God, it’s finally happened.”</p><p>“She told me she doesn't see Lana’s stuff in her room either,” Luan interjected. </p><p>“It’s okay Lola,” Raita cooed affectionately as she rubbed Lola’s back while she continued to cry.  Picking Lola up Rita addressed Luan and Leni who had been hanging back in the doorway.  “I’ll take it from here girls.  You know we all talked about this and what to do.  Let the rest of the family know it’s happened.  Me and your father are going to talk to her, explain what’s happening.”</p><p>“Should I go get Lincoln?”  Luan asked.</p><p>Lynn Sr and Rita exchanged a look between each other and nodded in confirmation.  “Yes Luan,” Lynn Sr replied, “I think that’s a good idea.  Tell him to come to our bedroom right away.”</p><p>“On it,” Luan said briskly and dashed past Leni and up the stairs to fetch her brother.</p><p>In her parents bedroom Rita sat Lola down on the bed and took a seat next to her while Lynn Sr fetched some tissues from the night stand.  As an overly sentinel man Lynn Sr would often bawl his eyes out when him and Rita watched sappy movies on their old second hand laptop in bed so he always made sure to have them on hand.</p><p>Handing the tissues to Rita, she dabbed her daughters eyes who had already started to calm down, although still very confused.</p><p>“Mum, what’s-” Lola started but Rita cut her off with a gentle shush and stroked her head.</p><p>“Just wait a minute for Lincoln to get here and I province I’ll tell you what this is all about.  Is that okay?”  Lola nodded and Rita kissed her forehead while Lynn Sr sat down on her other side taking her hand.</p><p>Feelings of anxiety bubbled beneath the surface of Lola’s mind like a witch's cauldron.  With her parents comforting her though, she had something to hold on to, she felt safe and loved.</p><p>Presently the door to the bedroom opened and Lincoln stepped though, anguish written all over his face.  No words were spoken, none were needed, her brother simply walked up to her, fell to his knees and embraced her in a tight hug.</p><p>Basking in the moment Lola closed her eyes and finally began to relax under the blanket of love she was enveloped in.  Her thought process began to return as various theories came fourth.  She tried to settle on the idea that something had happened to Lana during the night, her family had rushed her to hospital.  It explained a lot but didn’t quite add up, if that were true why take Lana’s pets, bed and all her stuff and why was everyone acting like normal rather than at the hospital?  It just didn’t make any sense.</p><p>Eventually Lincoln pulled back and as Lola opened her eyes she saw Lincoln was struggling to smile, trying to hold himself together, for her sake.  She reached towards him with her free hand and Lincoln took it in his.</p><p>“Lola, sweetie” Rita began, “I know you're very confused right now and you want to know where Lana is.”  Reaching behind Lola’s back Rita took Lynn’s Sr’s free hand in her’s.  “What we’re about to tell you is going to sound very strange and I know you might not believe us.”</p><p>“But that’s okay,” Lynn Sr continued.  “None of us are going to be mad or upset if you don’t believe us right away and we won’t try and force you to either.  You can take all the time you need and know we all love you.”</p><p>“You see Lola, Lana’s not,” Rita broke off, tears were forming in her own eyes now and her gaze fell on the white haired boy in front of her.  “Lincoln,” Rita said, her eyes communicating to him her request.</p><p>She was conflicted, as a mother she didn’t want to place such a burden on her 11-year old son, but she also knew that hearing this from Lincoln would be better.  Luan had been right to suggest fetching him, Rita reasoned to herself.  Lincoln shared a special bond with his younger sisters, so eager to be the best big brother he could to them as he struggled to define himself as the young man he was on his way to becoming.</p><p>Lola fixed her attention on Lincoln, her breath hitching in her throat as she waited for him to tell her.</p><p>“Lola,” Lincoln began, squeezing her hand tighter, his eyes never leaving her’s. “Lana, she’s not real.”</p><p>“What?” Lola uttered blankly, too stunned for any emotion to come though.</p><p>“She never existed Lola, except in your head.  You never had a twin Lola, you’ve been sick.  Seeing things that aren't there, Lana and her stuff in your room.  You’d put on a voice, when you talked to us, thinking it was Lana talking.”</p><p>“No, no, no, no, no,” Lola said, snatching her hands from her brother and father and clutching her head.  “Lana is real, she’s my twin!”  Lola shouted desperately, the room was spinning and she felt like she was going to throw up.</p><p>“It’s okay Lola,” Rita said, moving to hug her daughter.</p><p>“STAY AWAY FROM ME!”  Lola screamed, tearing herself off the bed from her parents and Lincoln and backing away towards the door.  “YOUR CRAZY!”  Lola shouted hysterically.  “LANA IS REAL!!!!!”</p><p>Pulling the door open Lola and ignoring the pleas from her family she ran into the living room and was greeted with seven pairs of eyes from the rest of her sisters, minis Lily, looking at her with concern and worry.  “Not you too?”  She said in desperation, clutching her head again.  Her thoughts became muddled as the reality of her whole family believing something that she knew with every fiber of her being to be wrong overwhelmed her.</p><p>Some of her sisters were approaching her, holding out their arms, saying her name.  In her paranoia she thought they were coming to hurt her and in a way they were.  They were trying to take Lana away from her, convince her that she’s not real, make her believe a lie.  At the back of her mind her fathers words came back to her, ‘None of us are going to be mad or upset if you don’t believe us right away and we won’t try and force you to either.  You can take all the time you need and know we all love you.’</p><p>“Please, just stay back,” Lola sobbed and to her relief her sisters did just that, even if Leni had to be grabbed by Lori who was struggling to understand why they could not just go and comfort her.</p><p>Lola looked around the room, her family's faces were awash with worry but also a loving tenderness, her parents and Lincoln having come out the bedroom by now.  She did not know what to do and then she saw it out of the corner of her eye, the enlarged family photo Lincoln had taken of them all last year and their mother had decided to hang on the wall.</p><p>Lana was not in the photo.</p><p>Black terror assaulted Lola’s psyche as her whole body began to shake uncontrollably.  Remembering the single family member photo portraits of her and her siblings that lined the staircase, Lola turned to them and Lana was absent from those as well.</p><p>Her heart was pounding so hard it hurt and her chest tightened.  “Lana...no” Lola uttered while clawing at her chest over her heart before her mind finally gave out and she fainted.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Some people experience their dreams in first person, as though they were really taking part in events.  Others see themselves in third person as though they were watching on invisible, floating cameras.  In Lola’s current dream she was neither.</p>
<p>Separated from any facsimile of a body Lola was instead existing as a pure spirit.  She was not perceiving though any of the five senses but was rather connected in some inexplicable way to the matter around her.  This disembodied consciousness drifted through a dream version of her home.  Lola was looking for something.  What it was she did not know.  Would she even recognize it when she connected with it?  She wondered, as this non-corporeal Lola phased through walls and ceilings.</p>
<p>Every one in a while Lola encountered a member of her family.  She could sense the life within them.  Each distinct so that she recognized each one even without eyes or ears to see or hear them.  She could also pick up on their thoughts.  Then Lola came across Lana.</p>
<p>Her twin was in distress, fading from existence.  In the last moment before she vanished completely Lana sent one powerful thought to her, ‘don’t believe their lies, find me’ and then she was gone.</p>
<p>With a start Lola woke up in her bed and for the briefest of moments she thought the whole ordeal with Lana supposedly having never existed was also a dream.  Then she took in the lack of Lana’s bed, pets and possessions, along with her brother sitting on a chair looking at her with concern.</p>
<p>“Hey,” Lincoln said sheepishly, biting his bottom lip while he fidgeted with his hands, unsure what else to say.</p>
<p>Lola eyed him suspiciously.  “Last thing I remember  I was in the living room, you were all surrounding me like a bunch of wolves,” she said accusingly.</p>
<p>“Yeah sorry about that,” Lincoln replied, squirming in his seat under her penetrating glare.  “We were all worried about you.”  He smiled at Lola hoping to elicit a response. Her gaze remained ice cold.  “A-Anyway, you fainted so we brought you up here and I offered to stay with you.”  Lincoln gave her another hopeful smile but Lola remained unimpressed.</p>
<p>The blond haired pageant queen pulled back her covers and slid out of bed standing in front of her brother who, thanks to being sat down was eye level with her.  She leaned towards him, her face getting closer and closer.</p>
<p>“Lola what are you-” Lincoln started feeling uncomfortable.</p>
<p>“Shut up and don’t move,” she snapped back at him, bringing her face to only a few centimetres from his.  Lola proceeded to study every minute detail, every imperfection she remembered from the various makeovers she had subjected him to, willing and unwilling, over the years.</p>
<p>Satisfied she pulled her head back, “Well you're definitely Lincoln, your skin’s terrible.”</p>
<p>“Um, thanks, I guess,” said Lincoln.  “Hang on, who did you think I was?”</p>
<p>“Oh I don’t know,” Lola answered tersely as she walked away, “An actor maybe?  I thought I could be the star of one of those elaborate hidden camera shows.”</p>
<p>“Well with Luan as our sister, that’s pretty much every day for us,” Lincoln shot back, hoping to elevate some of the tension.  Lola gave him a slight smirk.  “So, about what we talked about downstairs,” Lincoln probed carefully, rising to his feet.  “How are you feeling about...that?”</p>
<p>While he had been talking Lola had been tracing her hand through the air when she remembered the surface of Lana’s bed would be.  On hearing Lincoln’s words Lola turned to face him, crossing her arms.  “Lincoln,” she began, pinching her nose as she sighed.  “Would you just believe everyone if they told you Clyde wasn’t real?  Or one of our sisters?”  Lola paused for a moment looking deep into her brothers eyes, a deep sadness welling up inside them.  “Or me?”</p>
<p>Lincoln’s eyes fell to the carpet.  “Probably not,” he mumbled quietly but loud enough for his sister to hear.</p>
<p>“Before you gave up on them, you’d try to find them wouldn’t you?”  Lola pressed and favored Lincoln with a soft smile.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” he uttered, unwilling to raise his eyes to meet her’s.  The boy heard his sister approach and at the edge of his vision he saw her reach forward and take his hands in her’s.</p>
<p>“Then you understand why I can’t believe you?” Lola asked rhetorically.  Lincoln nodded and tensed as hugged him tightly.  “Thank you Lincoln,” Lola said into his chest and had she looked up in that moment would have seen her brother have a far away look in his eyes.  “Will you help me look for her?” Lola asked, gazing up at her brother.  The question brought him out of his thoughts and looked down at her.</p>
<p>“Lola, I can’t do that,” Lincoln answered, his voice strained.  “I know you don’t believe us but we’re telling the truth.  Lana really isn’t…”  He trailed off, not wanting to hurt her by saying it out loud.</p>
<p>“But if she really isn’t…”  Lola started, stopping herself to swallow.  “...real.  Then what’s the harm in trying?  I don’t know how but what if you're wrong?  You don’t want to abandon your sister do you?”</p>
<p>“I can’t,” Lincoln repeated sadly.</p>
<p>“Why?”  Lola questioned, growing irritated and regaining some of her former, boisterous attitude.  “Why won’t you help me Lincoln?  Why?  Why?  WHY?!”</p>
<p>“BECAUSE I DON’T WANT YOU TO GET SICK AGAIN!”  Lincoln finally exploded.  He crouched down so he was level with her again.  His eyes welded up.  “Lola, we only just got you back,” Lincoln started slowly, his voice thick with emotion.  “You're my little sister, I have to protect you, even for yourself.”</p>
<p>“FINE!”  Lola snapped.  “If you won’t help me, then get out of mine AND LANA’S room and leave me alone!”</p>
<p>“If that’s what you want Lola,” Lincoln said, defeated.  He got up and headed out, stopping just outside the doorway.  “Did you want to come down for lunch?  You missed breakfast.”</p>
<p>Lola stormed over to the door, grabbed the handle and screamed, “I’m not hungry!”  Before slamming it in Lincoln’s face.</p>
<p>Outside in the hallway Lincoln slumped against the wall.  After a few minutes of staring at it he reached forward and placed his hand on the door handle.  Before he could turn it though Lincoln was startled by a cough to his side.  Spinning his head to the side he saw Lisa looking up at him with her blank, emotionless, analytical eyes.</p>
<p>“Dang it Lisa,” Lincoln said.  “Are you taking lessons from Lucy or something?”  Lisa gave the faintest flicker of a grin in response before speaking.</p>
<p>“Lincoln,” she began, “Outside of the scientific community the average layperson would struggle to quote Einstein beyond a monotonous parroting and lacking any real comprehension of his equation, energy equals mass times the speed of light squared, or E=MC2.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Lincoln replied, waiting to see where she was going with this.</p>
<p>“There is however one noticeable exception,” Lisa continued.  “A saying that, while attributed to Einstein, lacks any empirical evidence that he ever spoke it.  Nonetheless, working on the hypothesis that he did, it is a well known phrase.  ‘The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.’  Lisa then looked from Lincoln to his hand on the doorknob and back to him.</p>
<p>The white haired boy sighed, “Your saying I should give her some space?”  Lincoln reasoned.</p>
<p>“That would be an accurate deduction from my words,” Lisa stated.  “Now come elder sibling, both of us require an adequate amount of nutritional intake to function at optimum efficiency.”  With that the pair headed downstairs to get lunch.  Lincoln resolved that he would take a plate up to her and let her know he was leaving it by the door. </p>
<p>Lola spent most of the afternoon and evening pacing round her room like a caged lion as her young mine attempted to wrap her head around the situation, stopping only to eat her lunch and dinner Lincoln informed her he left by her door.  As the hours passed she had ruled out this being a very long dream along with the idea she had died during the night and gone to the ‘bad place.’</p>
<p>Lana being gone was bad, but it was not fire and devils pitchforks levels of bad, she reasoned.  Besides, she found it hard to believe she’d be sent there anyway.  That place was for evil people who did terrible things.  She on the other hand knew she had brought joy to the world with her beautiful face, poise and charms.  Sure she occasionally indulged in a little blackmail but she was doing them a favor, it was wrong to keep secrets from people, she was just helping them see that.  </p>
<p>Then again, she pondered, as long as she was with her, maybe the ‘bad place’ would not be so bad?</p>
<p>Throwing herself backwards onto her bed Lola closed her eyes and swam through the waters of her memories.  The times she and Lana played, the times they fought and the times they made up.</p>
<p>Lola would not describe herself as a particularly physically affectionate person like some of her sisters.  Sure she took part in the occasional group hug and even a one on one on occasion.  But unlike say Leni who threw herself into every hug with reckless abandon as though it were her last, she always held back.  Thoughts about possibly smudging her makeup or wrinkling her dress were always there, singing their siren song in her head and holding her back.</p>
<p>It all just seemed so petty now Lana was gone.  When was the last time they had even slept in the same bed?  It had been so long Lola’s memories were hazy.  If she concentrated hard she could recall the slight pressure of her twins' forehead touching hers as they slept on their sides facing each other, the comforting warmth radiating from and the feel of her breath on her cheeks.  Sure Lana  snored like a derailing freight train, but it was worth putting up with to be close to her</p>
<p>But then they had stopped, Lana had grown ‘gross’ and ‘icky,’ smelling like Cliff’s litter tray.  She had abandoned her, retreating to the comfort of her own bed with it’s lavender scented covers. She had even grown to resent her presence at times and in her worst moments, even if only for a second, would wish she had never been born.</p>
<p>In that moment Lola felt with absolute certainty, in the way an immature, young child struggling with a sense of loss they can’t understand does, that this was her fault.  She was being punished somehow not appreciating her, for not loving her enough.  Had Lana ever turned her away or refused her when she came to her for help, even when her demands were, by any objective measurement, wholly unreasonable?  No, Lana was always there for her when she needed her most.  Oh she might roll her eyes and complain a little while she helped her, but Lana still had her back.</p>
<p>Focusing on a specific memory, Lola recalled how Lana had once taken her place at a beauty pageant.  Lana had put herself in a situation that made her uncomfortable, upsetting even, just to help her.  She asked herself, what if the situation had been revered?  What if Lana was involved in a mud wrestling competition and could not take part?  Would she have taken her twins' place?  With a feeling of guilt that stabbed into her heart like a knife she knew she wouldn't.</p>
<p>Falling to her side and pulling her knees up Lola began to cry softy, being pretty much spent at this point.  “I don’t deserve you Lana,” Lola whispered to herself.  She was a selfish brat, a wannabe diva.  Lola had always seen herself as a Princess but as she thought about the various Princesses in the Disney films she loved so much, she realized that beyond the superficial trappings of fine dresses and a regal bearing, they all had qualities she lacked.  They were caring, pure of heart and inspired others with their acts of love and kindness.</p>
<p>I promise Lana when I get you back I’ll do better, Lola resolved, I’ll be better.  In many ways she realized Lana was a lot like Lincoln, at least in terms of her best qualities.  In thinking of Lincoln Lola could not help but flash back to earlier in the day and how she yelled at him.  She may not have liked what he said and thought he was dead wrong, but at the same time she could tell he was only trying to do what he thought was best and she trusted him.</p>
<p>A great need welled up inside her, not simply to apologize for her earlier outburst but to seek comfort in him.  In recognizing some of Lana in her brother she was sure some of the pain she was feeling at Lana being somehow taken from her would ease.  </p>
<p>Sighing heavily Lola picked herself off her bed and after making her face a little more presentable via her vanity headed out her room towards the former linen closet her brother currently resided in.  It being so late in the evening the house was not living up to its namesake with the hallway empty and devoid of chaos.  Her siblings were either in their rooms or downstairs in the hour or so before some of them would start going to sleep, their energy already mostly spent.  Being a Saturday her parents were pretty lax about imposing lights out although would come up to admonish them if they made too much noise.</p>
<p>Lola paused at the door to her brother's room, she knew he would not be mad at her for the way she acted but she still felt embarrassed.  Shifting her feet awkwardly she knocked, something she ironically remembered she had been so adamantly opposed to doing earlier in the day and was greeted by a cheerful, “Come in,” from Lincoln.</p>
<p>“Hi,” Lola said as poked her head through the door, echoing him from earlier.  “Is it okay if I come in?”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Lincoln answered, smiling at her and patting the space next to him on the bed.  She was relieved he was not reading comics in his underwear but rather watching something on his PC.  He had saved up money from the various odd jobs he’d done and his cut from assisting Luan with her Funny Business Inc to get a fold out metal swing bar for his monitor and cable extensions.  This allowed him to watch stuff in bed without having to squint over to his desk.</p>
<p>On sitting next to her brother Lola cast her head down towards her lap.  “I’m sorry about earlier,” she said quietly.  Lola heard Lincoln pause the video and then felt his hand stroking the top of her head.</p>
<p>“It’s okay,” Lincoln answered.  “What you're going through must be really hard."</p>
<p>“It is,” Lola replied.  “My heart is telling me Lana’s real, but you and everyone else is saying she’s not a-and the photo’s downstairs.”  Lola sniffed loudly, holding back another round of tears.  “I’m so confused.”</p>
<p>She felt Lincoln’s hand drop lower and embrace her in a sideways hug.  On instinct she leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes, letting the comforting feelings wash away her despair, like dirt from her body during a hot shower.</p>
<p>After a while she sat back up and gave Lincoln a tender smile saying, “I’m glad you're here Lincoln, I trust you the most.”  He returned it but there was also a pained look in his eyes that threw her off for a second before she concluded it was just another sign of how worried about her he was.</p>
<p>Wanting to break the tension Lola turned to the paused video on the screen.  “So, what are you watching?  Please tell me it’s not one of those lame superhero movies.”</p>
<p>“Superheroes are not lame,” Lincoln shot back, going into defense nerd mode.  “They’re our modern day Greek legends.  Symbols through which eternal values of truth, heroism and sacrifice are personified.”</p>
<p>“Riiiight,” Lola said, utterly unconvinced.  “Is that still the case when Tony Stark peed in his iron man suit?  Or how about when Hulk was punching a giant mutant poodle in the face?”</p>
<p>“Well,” said Lincoln, feeling like he’d just been owned by a 7-year old, “Maybe not every part of the movies are Oscar worthy.”</p>
<p>“You think?”  Lola said like a smart ass.</p>
<p>“Anyway,” Lincoln said, recovering.  “It’s not a superhero movie, it’s an old science fiction series from the 90’s called Sliders Zach recommended I check out.”</p>
<p>“Oh, science fiction, that’s soooo much better,” Lola said sarcastically.  Rolling his eyes at her casual dismissal Lincoln pressed on.</p>
<p>“It’s a great show, granted I’m only 4-episodes in and Zach did warn the later seasons kinda suck but so far I’m really enjoying it.  Heck I think even you’d like it if you gave it a chance.”  Lola raised her eyebrows skeptically.  “I mean it, it’s really creative and makes you think.  The characters are likable, it’s funny at times and I know how you're always watching your romance junk.  Well, there’s a slow burn romance between two of the leads that I’m sure will suck you in.”</p>
<p>Lola considered the passionate enthusiasm on her brother's face.  It was by no means a sure fire indicator of quality.  She’d been let down before by some of his other ‘nerd crap’ that bored her so much she, as her older sister Lori would say, literally fell asleep.</p>
<p>Still she really wanted to stay with him right now and did not think it was fair to keep him for his show.  Also she knew he’d be disappointed if she just closed her eyes while he watched it, not even giving it a chance.</p>
<p>“Alright you win,” said Lola in resignation but secretly loving how happy he looked when she agreed.  “I’ll watch one episode of your dumb show and it had better be good or I’m going to make you watch The Princess Diaries with me.”</p>
<p>“Dang it Lola, not The Princes Diaries again,” Lincoln pleaded in fear.  “What about Frozen?  Or Tangled?”</p>
<p>“That’s the deal,” Lola said, cackling evilly while extending her hand for him to shake.  “Unless you don’t think your show is really that good after all?”  She then fluttered eye eyelashes at Lincoln to provoke him.</p>
<p>“Oh it’s on!”  Lincoln said dramatically, taking her hand in his and giving it a firm shake.</p>
<p>“So, what’s this show about?”  Lola asked, “You're gonna have to bring me up to speed if we’re watching, episode 5 was it?”</p>
<p>“Ha, nice try,” Lincoln said smugly.  “But I’m not going to let you get away with struggling to catch up be your excuse to not like it.  We’re watching the first episode.”  Smart boy, Lola thought to herself as he exited out of the current episode and opened up the first one the streaming site he was on.</p>
<p>“You ready?”  Lincoln asked.</p>
<p>“I can hardly contain myself,” Lola answered dryly.</p>
<p>The episode started and Lola was instantly greeted with a spiral of different planet Earth’s appearing on screen while a voice accompanied them saying, “What if you could find brand new worlds right here on Earth?  Where anything is possible.  Same planet, different dimension.  I found the gateway!”  A montage then followed with various flashy sequences and CGI introducing the cast.</p>
<p>“Different dimension?”  Lola asked Lincoln.  She already felt lost in the first few seconds.  Science fiction was just not her thing.</p>
<p>“It’s the multiverse theory,’ Lincoln replied patiently while the opening continued.  “To put it simply, there are an infinite number of different universes.  The ones closest to ours will have their own Earths that are different in some way.  The characters travel to different ones in the show.  It could be a big change, like the Germans and Japanese beat us in World War 2, or something so small they don’t even notice at first and even think they are back home on their Earth.”</p>
<p>He didn’t see this as giving her any kind of spoilers since this was simply the premise for the show.</p>
<p>Lola took this all in and her eyes widened.  Other Earths where something is different?  She thought, the notion reverberating round her mind.  Lola’s heart rate increased and her knuckles tightened as she became utterly engrossed in the show, studying it the way someone would an instruction manual.</p>
<p>Blissfully unaware Lincoln was thrilled that Lola was making such an effort to give it a chance.  Gasping lightly during the more dramatic moments and chuckling during the moments of levity.  He reminded her a couple of times during the episode that if there was anything she wanted to ask him he could pause the video but both times she just waved him off and continued watching.</p>
<p>The episode concluded.  Feeling pretty confident giving how much attention she was giving it, Lincoln asked her, “So, did you enjoy that?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Lola answered, “I liked it a lot.”</p>
<p>“That’s great,” Lincoln said happily, “And you followed everything okay?  It all made sense?  Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude but I know you're not exactly into science fiction.”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry Lincoln,” Lola said back, sounding calm and serene.  “It made PERFECT sense.”  His mind, distracted by the fact that Lola would not be dragging him to her room tomorrow to force him to watch The Princess Bride, did not notice the unnaturally wide smile she had or the faintly glazed over look in her eyes.</p>
<p>Shutting down his computer Lincoln told him he was going to get some shut eye.  Before she left Lola gave her brother a goodnight hug.  “Thank you Lincoln,” she said as she embraced him.  “You really helped to open my eyes about what’s really going on.”</p>
<p>“No problem Lola,” Lincoln said.  “You can come and spend time with me anytime you want while we work through this together, as a family.”</p>
<p>“Sounds good Lincy,” Lola said sweetly and planted a light kiss on his cheek before leaving the room.</p>
<p>With each step down the hallway on her way to her room the blond girl’s face darkened.  On entering she closed her door gently and leaned back against it, slowly sliding to the floor.</p>
<p>They're not my real family, Lola thought, I have to find a way to get home.</p>
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